This was my favorite dish at the last restaurant I worked in. I would sneak some of this off to the side, it was so good. This is one of those simple, yet delicious and elegant things. At the restaurant it was served as an appetizer; but, for me its an entree.
To make this you will need:
1 eggplant
16oz. fresh ricotta
4 0z parmigiana, Romano, Asiago or any combination of said cheese, shredded
8 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 egg
handful fresh parsley, chopped
Salt and black pepper to tase
24 oz. Of marinara – homemade or storebought
1 tsp. olive oil
Grated garlic toe
Basil
Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
Coat a baking sheet with olive oil.
cheese filling:
in a bowl, mix the ricotta, parm cheese, 1/2 of the mozzarella, garlic, basil, parsley, egg, black pepper, and salt. If you want a little kick, throw in some cayenne and crushed red pepper here
The eggplant:
Slice the ends off of the eggplant. Hold the eggplant vertically, cut lengthwise thin slices. Place the eggplant slices onto the baking sheet and bake in the oven for about 4 – 5 minutes. We are doing this to make sure the eggplant is pliable and able to roll without breaking
Remove from the oven and lay out on the cutting board to cool off before rolling.
spread some of the marinara sauce evenly on the bottom of a baking pan.
When the eggplant has cooled off, place one to two tablespoons of the filling at the wide end of the eggplant slice and then roll the eggplant over itself, as you would to make a pinwheel. Place the eggplant roll seem side down on the pan so it does not unroll while baking. Continue these steps until you are out of eggplants.
Cover the top of the with another layer of sauce. Bake in the oven for 30 -40minutes at 400 degrees.
Remove from the oven and sprinkle the rest of the mozzarella and any left over parm cheese on top and place back into the oven until the cheese is melty.
Remove from the oven and serve with salad, some pasta or as an appetizer. These are serious crowd pleasers!
Note: if you want a recipe for a great easy and quick marinara here is mine:
This video shows making the marinara
Marinara sauce:
Half onion diced
4-6 toes of minced garlic
Basil-chopped
Parsley- chopped
Thyme
Oregano
Rosemary
Olive oil
Salt pepper garlic powder
Crushed red pepper
Balsamic vinegar – optional
28 ounce can of crushed tomato or whole tomatoes you’ve crushed by hand.
Bay leaves- optional
Cook down the onion in olive oil until softened, season with crushed red pepper and SPG then add in garlic
Give the garlic 30 seconds to cook then add in herbs and tomato.
Bring to a boil then drop to a simmer and let simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
After 20 minutes check seasoning. If it needs a little sweet added, drop in a few teaspoons of balsamic.